Ninshū: The Way of Peace
by Envoy of the White Moon
Summary: At an earlier age, Naruto and Sasuke acknowledge one another. Though many things change, many stay the same. What is different though, is that never once did they see the other's back. That alone is enough to save them both and so many others. (Several chapters have been rewritten. Old Chapter Four will be new chapter 6.)
1. Chapter I Diverging Fates

Many of the students froze in place at the sight before them on the training ground. Both Naruto, unrefuted troublemaker and loudmouth, and Sasuke, last of his clan and loner, had both stopped where they were. Naruto's right fist was two inches above the Uchiha's chest, right where his heart was; while Sasuke's left fist just before the blonde's neck. They both were perfectly still, staring evenly at each other.

Naruto then smiled roguishly while a tiny smirk played at Sasuke's lips.

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto and Sasuke said at the same time. "We call this match a draw."

"You guys aren't in a position to draw," Iruka pointed out. "You're not even close enough to hurt each other."

"If this were a combat situation, he and I would both have a weapon or jutsu on hand ready to end the other. He's ready to remove my head-"

"-While he is ready to run my heart through. This is a draw for us both. Not only that, but if we were to continue, I could handle him with efficiency-"

"-But he would fall over from exhaustion from having to go the extra mile."

Iruka looked between the two before sighing in shaking his head. He would have thought that two children, even if one was brother to a prodigy, were not this advanced when it came to combat. "Very well then. I call the match between Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto a draw." The two then stepped away from each other. "Now make the seal of reconciliation." The two then made the half rat seal, Naruto with his right and Sasuke with his left, and shook them together, a smirk on both of their lips.

* * *

><p>The days that passed after that spar had seen an interesting development between the two eight year old boys. Though their social interactions with one another were far and in between, whenever they stepped into the sparring circle, their attitudes regarding one another were anything but hostile. It actually seemed that the two enjoyed fighting one another and would thus go all out, putting on a show for all of the other students. Though each of them won some and lost some, their wins matched their losses and their draws were three times that.<p>

After a while, it seemed that both of them began to feel a sense of comradery toward each other. It started simply as Sasuke helping Naruto with his schoolwork, but then evolved into Naruto helping Sasuke in shurikenjutsu, even if he was only slightly better. From there, the two would sometimes trade ideas on this and that about schoolwork, but never on anything outside of training to become a ninja. One day, Sasuke found himself invited by the blonde to spar outside of the Academy so that they could become stronger. He took the chance, but after a month long of doing so, began to regret it.

The truth though was that Sasuke was full of trepidation on befriending the blonde. He was afraid that if he befriended the blonde, and he was killed by him, then he would once more be left alone. What was worse was the fact that if that did occur, then others would avoid him at all costs just to save their own skins. So the question was, "Do I take the chance of gaining something while also having the chance of losing it?" or "Do I stay aloof so I no longer hurt others and hurt myself in the process?"

When he was asked what the problem was after a spar, the young Uchiha was conflicted. But after a while of reasoning, he reasoned that the blonde would understand his plight, what with being a pariah himself and understanding the weight of loneliness himself. So he told him.

"I'm glad you consider me something of a friend."

"You're not afraid of possibly being killed by him if you become my friend?"

"I'm not," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "A lot of people here are ninja, and some of them have lost people precious to them, but they still go on. Do you know why?"

"No," the Uchiha replied with a shake of his head. He himself wondered how some of the people here coped with such loss of life, yet still went on and lived.

"Because it is the wish of the dead that the living live their lives. Nothing would bring them more joy in seeing their loved ones live their lives to the fullest."

"But Itachi- He told me I have to become stronger, gain the same power as him and kill him!"

"You need to live your own life as well! If all you have is hatred in your heart, then will you truly be alive when you finally kill him?! Where is your love for others?"

"I lost all the love in my heart when my family died," Sasuke sneered. "It died when he killed everyone I loved." He then had a look of loss pass over his face. "And if I begin to love others, then I'll eventually lose them again."

"Then I'll become strong enough to protect myself!" Naruto proclaimed.

"What? Why would you still want to be associated with me?"

"I may not know what it means to lose your family, because I never knew my own," that remark about never knowing his own family shut Sasuke up fast. He actually felt guilty about the fact that he forgot that the person he was befriending was probably the loneliest person in Konoha. "But I know what it means to offer someone friendship and then suddenly have it thrown back in my face."

"You're doing this because you don't want me alone?" Sasuke then snorted. "That's rich coming from you, usurantonkachi."

"Oi!"

"But, it's nice to know that I have someone out there watching my back then."

"That's what friends are for."

* * *

><p>"Those punches you throw are rough," Sasuke said rubbing his sore shoulder as the two slowly walked side by side toward his clan compound after one of their after school spars.<p>

"Your high kick is just as bad," Naruto shot back, toying with a rock in his hand. He as well sported a battle wound, but it was instead a cut lip.

A silence fell between the two that seemed to drag on the time the two were taking to get back to Sasuke's empty home. Two weeks had passed since their talk about their first heart to heart. Though they acted normal around each other at school, whenever they had another after school spar, they would let their fists do the talking. The spar they had today was the first one where they finally understood one another through their fists. Afterward, the Uchiha invited the blonde out to eat at an onigiri stand. When night passed, the two found nothing better to do but just head off together to one of their homes and part ways from there. Since Sasuke's home was closest, they decided to go their then.

"The form you use is unrefined though, why is that?" the Uchiha noted after the bout of silence.

"I've been self-taught a majority of my life."

"Why is no one willing to teach you?" Sasuke asked, wondering once more why a majority of people seemed to outright ignore the blonde.

"I really don't know, but it bugs the hell out of me," Naruto snarled, irked that everyone older than him seemed to know something about him that even he was not privy to.

"You're an Uzumaki, why aren't any of your clansmen stepping forward to help you?"

"I thought this was a random name the orphanage gave me."

"Nope. Apparently the Uzumaki are just as important as the Senju and Uchiha. That swirl on the green flak jackets jōnin wear? That's the Uzumaki crest and meant to symbolize the village's bond to the Uzumaki."

"So I'm from a clan huh? Probably last from the looks of it if no one even mentions them anymore," Naruto replied sulkily.

"My mom said something one night about you being my mom's best friend's son when I remarked about you a year ago after school. Said her name was Kushina, if that helps you out a bit." It was Sasuke's hope that his rival and friend would cheer up a bit. Naruto's mood kind of reminded him of the fact that he was alone as well, something he did not like to dwell on much.

"Thanks Sasuke. Means a great deal."

"No problem man."

"I mean it. I know it hurts to remember you mom, especially after what happened." He was clapped on the shoulder by Sasuke.

"It's not as painful as finally knowing your mother's name and not even knowing what she looked like or if she loved you, which I'm sure she did." The young Uchiha gave a serious look his Uzumaki friend, "Any pain I feel is about them is less than the pain of never knowing and always wondering, so I have no reason to be sad, while you have all the reason to be."

Naruto simply nodded back to him, understanding that maybe tonight he would need to be alone and talk to his hero and ask him if he knew anything about his parents. The two then came short of the entrance to Sasuke's clan compound.

"This is my stop man."

"I'll see ya later Sasuke." He moved to turn but stopped when he saw Sasuke's outstretched hand.

"You can stay over if you want," the Uchiha said quietly. "I know how it feels to cope with the fact your practically the last of you clan. It's best not to be alone with no one to talk to about it."

"I just need tonight." Sasuke nodded, understanding that the blonde needed a bit of time to mull over the fact that he was from a clan and most likely the last of it. "You don't need to be indebted to me just because I pulled you out from going down a dark path," the Uzumaki said surprising the Uchiha.

"I'm not doing this because of a debt. I'm doing this because it is the right thing to do. Everyone deserves to have someone around to pull them out of the darkness, even if it's beginning to drown them." Naruto blinked owlishly at the boy, but then nodded at him.

"Thanks Sasuke. It means a lot that you're looking out for me."

"What are friends for?" Sasuke remarked

Naruto smirked and extended his right hand and clasped hands with Sasuke. He was surprised when Sasuke pulled him into a one handed hug.

"If it helps, I consider you a brother now."

"Thanks Sasuke."

Sasuke then released the blonde and held out his left hand in the seal of reconciliation which Naruto returned with a smile. The two then turned their backs to each other, smiles across their faces as they walked away from where destinies would forever change.

* * *

><p>Two ancient chakras, powerful and undetectable, that had for so long clashed with one another had suddenly ceased in their eternal rage and began to calm. The two chakras soon began to shrink and manifest themselves into two distinct forms. The first that materialized was a young man with swirling eyes, short eyebrows and long and unruly hair while two short locks on either side of his face were wrapped in bandages. The second being to materialize was another young man with short spiky hair with a blank hitai-ate wrapped around his forehead. He too had locks framing his face wrapped in bandages. They both wore identical clothing consisting of a light colored kimono with six magatama adorning the collar wrapped in a dark obi.<p>

"Ashura," the first one spoke, raising his left hand in the Seal of Confrontation.

"Indra," Asura replied doing the same with his right hand.

For a while, the two stared at each other, their chakras swirling uneasily around them. Soon, Indra's eyes faded from their bright red color to a dull brown like the other man's eyes. They stayed like that for a bit before Indra lowered his left hand in a gesture of friendship, a small smile twinkling in his eye. Ashura smiled in return, thankful that his brother had finally let go of his hatred for him.

"I missed you Indra," he said, shaking his brother's hand.

"I'm sorry brother," he admitted shamefully. "Can you forgive me?"

"Forgive you?" Ashura asked, raising his brow. Indra was wondering if Ashura indeed would forgive, but was surprised by the hug that enveloped him. "You're my brother. I love you."

For the first time in nearly three millennia since their mother had passed, Indra had cried into his brother's shoulder, quieting whispering sorry.

He finally composed himself and pushed himself off of his brother. "We need to talk about what Madara is planning," he said darkly. "It involves Yami." Ashura's face hardened at the name of the darkness that corrupted his brother and his reincarnation. "Madara is planning on releasing the Jūbi."

Asura's stone face held. "We need to help Sasuke and Naruto train so they can stop Obā-sama. We cannot have her destroy what those two have begun here."

"Agreed brother."

For the first time since training under their father, Ashura and Indra had the same goal in mind. And with that, the two returned to pure chakra and fused themselves to their reincarnations, slowly integrating a majority of their powerful chakras into the young boys' own distinct chakras.

* * *

><p>Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo looked up from his meditation in the endless expanse that surrounded him, having felt the chakras of his two sons finally reconcile with one another. The Rikudō Sennin felt that with Indra and Asura- no, Sasuke and Naruto working together in this timeline, he could approach them sooner if they began to train in ninshū rather than later during their death throes. If so, the two could save the world with less deaths.<p>

"Forgive me Okā-sama, but if we must stop you again, so be it." Though he was a stoic man, Hagoromo was not without weakness, and soon, a tear escaped his eye followed by five more. One for his brother, mother and father, and one each for his two sons and their lines.

* * *

><p>Ōtsutsuki Kaguya eyes looked up into the night sky to see two shining chakras finally calm. A long time ago, she would have snarled at the thought of any being other than her wielding chakra, but after three millennia trapped in her own consciousness, she had begun to realize her faults. When once she would have sneered at the mere thought that two scattered chakras finally had harmonized with one another, she now felt great happiness at the fact that she no longer had to watch her grandchildren war with one another throughout the ages. A great sorrow flowed through her though when she realized that one of her children, Yami, held the misguided belief that he needed to manipulate and destroy everything his family had worked for to free her so that she could seek her vengeance.<p>

"Forgive thine mother mine children, for the sins thou has committed, and the suffering thou hast wrought thee," she whispered. She then closed her eyes and curled into a ball, silently humming the tune her late husband had always serenaded her with when they were together. Soon, tears began to fall freely from her eyes. She so badly wished that she had died instead of been immortal so that she could have joined her husband. But the will of the Shinju was strong and would never let its hold on her relinquish.

Its presence was felt heavy on her back, and Kaguya cringed, withdrawing further into herself.

"Foolish daughter of the lost moon," the Shinju boomed. "Thine blasphemy will be the cause of all the world's death and I shall once more sleep when all the world is gone. I shant suffer another to take mine power again. Of that I can assure thee." The great being then soon shut its existence from her own.

Kaguya cried even harder then, knowing that when Yami freed her, and if little Sasuke and Naruto succeeded in stopping her, that she would endure this hell once more, maybe for eternity this time.

"Please, save me, someone. Please," she pleaded once more into the darkness, hoping beyond hope that he multi-layered kimono she was wrapped would bring her warmth that she had missed for so long, that not even chakra could satisfy the need for it. After a while of tears, she finally succumbed to her stress and fell into a nightmare ridden sleep.


	2. Chapter II Strength of Heart

Chapter II

Strength of Heart

* * *

><p>After the revelation of Naruto's maternal heritage, the blonde was asked by Sasuke if he wanted to move in next door to him. The explaination behind it was that they could meet up sooner so that they would not have to travel far to see the other about a spar. The unsaid part of his proposition was that Sasuke felt his friend, his brother, should not have to live alone surrounded by people who basically ignored him.<p>

From there, the two set into a routine of sorts that displayed to their fellow Academy students what the true nature of their rivalry and friendship was like. Where one would suddenly come closer to master a technique, the other would come in the next day and exceed at what the other had done. When Sasuke or Naruto would go into public, one would shoo away the other's well-wishers or antagonizers. Sasuke would help Naruto refine himself, while the blonde would help coax the Uchiha out of his introversion and reintroduce him back to the world and thus socialize with the others their age.

Due to this, Naruto himself had a fan club created to honor him because of his relative closeness to Sasuke. Within two months, his fan club had grown to rival the size of Sasuke's. The most surprising thing about this was that Hinata was the president of said fan club. Timid, little (and maybe cute) Hinata was the president! Luckily for Naruto, Hinata did not act loud and obnoxious about her support in him. Rather she always politely clapped for him, spoke modestly of him and defended his honor whenever it came under fire.

Sasuke was slightly irked by the fact that he did not have such a girl and was only stuck a fan club that was headed by girls with lungs that could put the lungs on a howler monkey to shame. Soon enough though, it seemed to change.

* * *

><p>"Good form Sasuke. You as well Naruto," Iruka remarked as he scored them on their taijutsu. He then checked the clock up on the wall and called all of the children together. "Alright, your taijutsu spars are done for now. We'll have a fifteen minute break lunch break before returning to class."<p>

With that, the chūnin left the group of eight and nine year olds by themselves and headed to grab some lunch and visit a certain tokubetsu jōnin.

Time seemed to fly by fast for the children, and a number of them seemed to congregate back in their classroom. Of course a certain blonde had to remark about the shouting match that was going on in the room.

"Why do you two fight each other so much?" Naruto asked from his seat beside Sasuke. For the past three minutes, the blonde had to listen to the two bicker about who would do this or who would do that for 'Sasuke-kun'. What with lunch period about to end and nothing to do, the blonde felt like poking a bees'- hornets' nest.

"Shut up Naruto!" Yamanaka Ino shouted.

"This is between us! We don't need you butting in!" Sakura growled, butting heads with her rival slash friend.

Naruto sighed in defeat, he truthfully did not understand why he himself had decided to call them out on their rabble. It was most likely due to the small rain cloud Naruto thought he saw hanging over his friends head.

"Aren't you two still friends?" The two stopped their bickering to gaze upon the blonde boy. "I mean, you are still friends… right?" At their shameful looks, Naruto sighed and palmed his face.

"I bet it has something to do with me," Sasuke suddenly spoke up, raising his head to look at the two girls. When the two girls looked away from each other, the Uchiha palmed his face as well. "This is like a bad drama where two women who are initially friends soon become rivals because they like the same man."

"Did any of them ever make up and become friends?" the Uzumaki asked.

"If they did, I never found out. I found the situations eerily familiar and burned the story."

"Tell me you really did not do that man," Naruto wondered aloud.

"I really did not do that."

"You did at least make sure it was replaceable, right?" At Sasuke's flat look, he muttered, "You did at least compensate the people."

"I'm surprised you know what compensation means." The fury that erupted on Naruto's face caused him to smirk.

"I'll kill you!" Naruto shouted, lunging at his friend.

"Still compensating for something?" Sasuke teased as he dodged the blonde ballistic bullet.

With a roar, Naruto leapt at his friend. The Uchiha just barely managed to evade his friend and then proceeded to escape out the open window, with the blonde hot on his heels.

"They do realize we are on the second floor in this classroom… right?" Kiba said aloud. Many nodded their heads. The Inuzuka soon stuck his head out and saw the two of them running across the walls of the Academy and heading toward the heart of the village. "How the hell did they learn wall running?"

"I believe it is due to their tree walking training. Why? Because I have come across the two of them training once," Shino spoke aloud, making a number of kids near him jump due to his quiet nature.

"You never told me that man!" the other boy shouted accusingly.

"It is because you never asked anything about Naruto-san or about Sasuke-san. I was under the impression you saw the two as your rivals."

"That might have helped me gauge their progress then Shino!" Kiba howled.

"My apologies Kiba. Next time I know anything, I shall tell you about it."

When Iruka returned to class after his lunch break was over, he was met with a number of his students staring out the window stunned, Sakura and Ino shooting glances at each other, and Kiba and surprisingly Shino talking animatedly with one another.

"Where are Naruto and Sasuke?"

* * *

><p>When school was let out, all of the children save for Naruto and Sasuke (both of whom staying behind to clean the classroom after a stern talking to by Iruka), began to slowly amble their way back to their homes. When Sasuke looked out the window while washing them, he spied Sakura and Ino together. He decided to call over Naruto and when he came over, the two of them opened the window and strained their ears to hear what was going on.<p>

"Can I come over Ino?" the pinkette murmured just loudly enough for her former friend to hear her.

"Dad was actually thinking of taking me and mom out to eat later on today," Ino began.

"Oh." But at the downtrodden look on the girl's face, Ino decided to take the second step to mending their friendship.

"Why don't you bring your mom and dad? It's been a while since my mom and dad last saw you guys."

"I'd like that." Sakura smiled, happy that this might be a chance to rekindle their friendship.

Sasuke soon left the window and made his way over to one of the seats and sat down, leaving Naruto to watch the two girls slowly blend into the mid-afternoon crowd. Soon Naruto found himself seated next to his friend.

"I hope they mend their friendship. People always need a friend that isn't a family member or loved one. People need to know that love can be unconditional," Sasuke muttered to himself. "Breaking your bonds with those who love you deeply over petty things like revenge or a selfish, one-sided love is foolish."

Naruto simply nodded from his friend's side. "Simply knowing you have someone out there watching your back soothes a person's heart. But one must not become too possessive of that attachment, lest they run the risk of falling into hatred if that bond is lost."

"To know how to move past that hatred is difficult, but in time, wounds heal."

"Maybe they'll find a way of mending that broken bond. Who knows?" Naruto then looked slyly at his friend. "You just hope they'll stop chasing you, eh?"

"A boy can dream can't he?" Sasuke shot back. The two then returned to their task of cleaning the classroom. When they finished, the two of them headed out to eat at an onigiri stand since they ate at Ichiraku two nights ago.

After having dinner with the Yamanaka clan head's family, Mebuki and Kizashi were surprised when Ino invited Sakura over for the night for a sleep over, something the two had not done in quite some time. They were even more surprised when Sakura leapt at the idea and hugged the blonde fervently. The two of them gave their permission to their daughter and smiled as they watched their child hug each of them before following her friend.

When it soon came time for bed, the two of them were animatedly gossiping with one another about this and that. They both came to realize though, that they had long missed out on a majority of the other's life, but both reconciled that they would not lose any more time together.

"I'm sorry Sakura," Ino said when she turned off the night stand lamp.

"It's not your fault Ino," Sakura replied, lying beside the girl. "I should have realized that you were trying to help my gain confidence by trying to be my rival and push me to become stronger. I shouldn't have taken that and thrown it in your face."

"You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think we're both a little silly for breaking up our friendship," Ino giggled.

"So if we're friends, then we aren't silly then."

"Exactly!" the platinum blonde laughed.

"Well then, I don't like being silly."

"I don't either."

"Friends then?" Sakura smiled.

"Friends," Ino said as she wrapped her friend in a hug and felt her hug back.

That night, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arm, friends who had finally found each other once more.

* * *

><p>From that day forward, Sasuke felt like palming his face every time the two girls would double team him in attempts to woo him. From the sidelines, Naruto would laugh and egg the girls on, all the while smiling impishly whenever the Uchiha would shoot a glare his way.<p>

"Boy, am I glad only you are the most vocal about wooing me when it comes to my fan club Hinata-chan!" Naruto told the girl beside him happily. Though first he was cautious about the fan club, he soon came to realize that the girls that formed a good majority of the club only held him at a slightly elevated pedestal due to his warmth and near down to earthliness. He was just glad that none of them wanted to have his kids, because that was nasty and unthinkable at their age. Instead, many of them wanted to be his friend. Though at times he would catch the occasional glance that had him questioning what they were seeing.

"That's because all the girls know that I was the first one to acknowledge you." At his questioning look, the blunette smiled. "It has more to do with the fact that I at least hold a special place in your heart."

"So long as they aren't afraid of you, I'm fine with that."

Thankfully he was a little dense about the fact that Hinata had just said that she had staked her claim in him and would not let anyone encroach on the boy.

The two then began to trade bits of their lunches with one another and talked about how their respective lives had been so far in the past few days. The both of them then heard a loud shout and looked over to where Sasuke, Sakura and Ino were sitting. Ino was gaping at Sasuke with he and Sakura had blushes on their faces.

"What did you just say?" Ino squeaked out.

"I-I said I like Sakura more because she tries her best to be acknowledged, despite the fact that she isn't the strongest among our class," Sasuke said firmly, his cheeks reddening further along with Sakura's as he spoke. "And also, I think her forehead is cute!" The last sentence was rushed, but many comprehended what he said. Sakura fainted dead away.

From that day forward, Sakura was elevated from Co-president, to president of Sasuke's fan club. It was also followed by the toning down of said fan club. It would have been great if it were not for the fact of his friends ribbing about him now having a 'girlfriend'. He soon began to reply, "If I have a girlfriend, what do you call Hinata?" And then when Naruto finally got the hint, Sasuke began to tease him about when the wedding was and if he would be best man.

* * *

><p>Later that night when Naruto lay in his bed, deep within his mind a powerful and ancient consciousness began to stir. For a while, it had felt a faint trace of chakra that was just as ancient as itself. Soon from the darkness formed a cage, which housed in it a massive fox with nine tails. The great beast gazed without aim into the darkness, trying to see if anything around it existed. It soon felt a presence slowly form, directly in front of it no less.<p>

It stared lazily at the spot and soon was given audience to a being that it had not seen since its 'father' had died.

"Ashura," the deep voice of the beast boomed. "I take it, from you chakra before me, that this child is your reincarnation."

"Indeed he is Kurama." Ashura frowned when his sibling snarled at him. "Can I no longer use your name my sibling?"

"One day once more. But for now, you can only address me as Kyūbi. My name means too much to me for anyone to so casually use it once more." It then lowered its head so it could stare down Ashura. "Especially not since what you and your brother's lines have done to father's legacy and to me and my siblings," it growled.

"I understand Kyūbi." Ashura then bowed. "I must now explain what my brother and I are doing." He did not flinch when he say the claw poised to run him through.

"Speak very carefully Ashura. If you or Indra attempt anything wrongful once more, I will not hesitate to kill the boy and Indra's reincarnation, whomever it might be," the Kyūbi snarled viciously.

"My brother found out through his last reincarnation, whom is Madara Uchiha that the man has set in motion a plan that would see the resurrection of the Jūbi." The claw that was once before him was lowered and replaced by the Kyūbi's face more.

"What is it you plan to do then Ashura?"

"Give the boy some of my strength and help him reach his potential as my descendant and reincarnation. And hopefully stop Madara's plans."

"And if his plans succeed?"

"Then we can only hope father helps us when that time comes."

The Kyūbi stared at its sibling, regarding him carefully with its slit eyes. "Would this require my assistance at all?"

"Only if you wished to give it my sibling," Ashura replied shaking his head.

"I shall deem the boy worthy of my assistance then," the great beast replied. "But if he is not, then if and when the Gedō Mazō has the chakras of my siblings, I will assist the child."

Ashura thought of accusing the Kyūbi of abandoning its siblings, but knew that the beast had a sense of pride and internally believed that the others would not allow themselves to be captured so easily once more.

"I thank you then Kyūbi," the second son of Hagoromo said, bowing his head.

The great beast merely huffed through its nose and Ashura took that as his signal to disappear. When the bijū was finally alone, it closed its eyes and opened up its senses to watch its container more closely.

'Let us see if you are worthy of my strength Uzumaki Naruto.'


	3. Chapter III Forging Bonds

Chapter III

Forging Bonds

* * *

><p>Three months had passed since the time where Sasuke's fan club was revamped and not much had changed for Sasuke and Naruto. While they were the unrefuted most powerful in their age group, when it came to grades both of them were like night and day. Though Naruto was gifted physically and could understand complex situations, he had zero ability when it came to breaking it down. And despite the tutoring that he would give the Uzumaki, it seemed as if it would go in one ear and out the other.<p>

This irked the Uchiha to no end; his rival was one of the lowest ranking of the academy students yet able to give the highest ranker a run for his money. If he had not befriended the blonde earlier, he would have thought that Naruto was really moron and beneath him and would thus have developed an inferiority and superiority complex regarding the blonde. Sasuke now knew that Naruto was instead a walking contradiction half the time and thus knew not to worry about it.

Within that span of time, all of the major clan heirs had bonded with Naruto and Sakura, forming a tightly knit group of Academy students. They were then joined by Hinata's older cousin and two of his classmates, one TenTen and a Rock Lee.

The biggest change to both their lives would occur when they were beginning to go into their second year of the Academy.

"Class," Iruka said, clapping his hands together to grab the classroom's attention. All eyes turned to him and all conversation stopped. "I'd like to welcome you back to the Academy. You will notice that some of the faces from last year are no longer among you, that is a given since many children find other passions to follow other that being a ninja. I'd also like to introduce two new students that will be joining the class from here on out." He then turned to the door and spoke aloud, "Please make your entrance."

The door slid open and a number of the students held their breaths, wondering whom the new additions to the class would be and whether or not they would be a boy or girl. What all of the students noticed first was that both of them had red hair and were girls. The one with the glasses though had a darker shade of red hair while the girl with a blue hairclip had red nearly pink hair, slightly darker than Sakura's hair.

"Please introduce yourselves to the class," Iruka spoke.

"My name is Karin," the girl in glasses introduced herself shyly. She wore a black shirt with fishnet beneath it, all under a light brown open front long sleeve shirt and had on short black shorts. "I like Okonomiyaki. I dislike gyōza. My hobby is collecting perfume. My dream is to be reunited with my mom's family," Karin spoke aloud, blushing at having to say her hobby.

"The name's Tayuya," the other girl muttered, crossing her arms. The girl herself was wearing a long-sleeved fishnet shirt under a light yellow sleeveless kimono top held closed by a green obi and light blue shorts. "I like tonkatsu and hate sushi. My hobby is playing the flute. And that's all you guys need to know," Tayuya huffed.

"Tsundere much?" Naruto whispered from his place beside Sasuke. The Uchiha just gave Naruto to a look that spoke volumes.

"What was that shorty?!" Tayuya shouted at the blonde. Apparently, Naruto needed to learn how to whisper more quietly. That or Tayuya had amazing hearing.

'Whoops.' Thinking about his motto, 'Live fast, Die Young, Leave a Good Looking Corpse Behind' he soon did put his foot in his mouth. "I said you're a cute Tsundere Ta-yu-ya-chan!" Naruto exclaimed for the whole class to hear, enunciating every syllable of her name while attaching the familiar –chan.

"Wha-what?!" Tayuya squeaked out. "I'm not tsundere, shorty!"

"And I'm not short, Tayuya-chan!" Naruto shouted back.

"Stop using my name so familiarly!"

"Both of you shut up!" Everyone in the class immediately shut up when they saw Iruka use his Big Head Jutsu to scare the living daylights out of them. "Take your seats so I can begin class now!" he shouted, more towards Tayuya, pointing at an empty seat beside Sakura and one beside Hinata.

With that, Tayuya took the seat beside Hinata while Sakura played hostess to Karin.

"What's up with that shorty?" Tayuya grumbled, her head on the wooden table before her.

"You really are a cute girl," Hinata giggled from her side.

"Not you too!" the redhead moaned. "I am not cute and I am definitely not a tsundere!" she grumbled.

The blunette just giggled once more. "My name's Hinata." She then stuck her hand forward. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Tayuya replied, though still a little glum. "So do you know who the shorty is?" she asked, sticking her thumb in the blonde's direction.

"That's Naruto-kun. And yes, he is short," she whispered the last part to the redhead. "But don't let Naruto-kun hear that, he's a," another giggle, "little sore on that subject."

Tayuya giggled as well. "I bet you like him, he's not half bad to tell the truth." At Hinata's teasing smile, the redhead backtracked, "F-for a shorty that is." Hinata just giggled in response.

"Yep; definitely a cute tsundere," the Hyūga giggled. Tayuya let out an indignant squawk and flicked the other girl's forehead, causing her to giggle even stronger. "So mean Tayuya-chan!"

Tayuya just huffed in response, muttering about people using her name so familiarly. Despite that, she had a small smile across her face.

From her seat beside the pinkette, Karin spied down upon the blonde who called her friend a tsundere. She watched as he and the dark haired boy beside him traded witty banter and jabs between each other. Feeling as if something was nagging at her mind, she expanded her budding sensory abilities outward. With a yelp, she tumbled out of her chair at what she felt coming off of Naruto and Sasuke. One had a shell of complete darkness surrounding it, but further in was a great warm that seemed to be reach out. The other had a bright and glowing chakra, but held a deep darkness buried deep within. But what was surprising though was the sheer size of their chakras, as it seemingly oozed out of them with now end, saturating the area around them with their chakra.

"Are you okay?" Karin was startled back into the real world by the hand in front of her and the concerned green eyes looking at her.

"Yeah, sorry," the redhead apologized, accepting the hand and pulling herself back into her seat.

"So you saw it too, huh?" Sakura asked the girl.

"Saw what?" Karin replied, trying to play dumb.

"The darkness that envelopes Sasuke-kun's chakra," Sakura replied. "And the darkness inside Naruto's chakra."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the redhead replied, sweating bullets.

"I'm a sensor too. I could tell you were one when you opened your mind to the world," Sakura said, pinning her in place with a stare. "It's fine; I won't tell your secret as long as you don't tell mine," the pinkette said as she smiled.

Karin exhaled in relief, glad that someone understood her need for secrecy concerning her ability. "Thank you," she replied. "I've never felt such strong chakras from people so young."

"I know," Sakura whispered back. "Sasuke-kun and Naruto had strong chakras before, but then when they became friends one day, it's like their chakras suddenly became so powerful and began to dispel that darkness they held. To tell the truth, that's actually why I like Sasuke-kun so much; I wanted to be there for him and help him shoulder his sadness, just like Naruto did for him."

"He kind of seems cold and aloof to me," Karin pointed out.

"True," the pinkette shrugged. "But once you get to know him, he can be such a warm and easy-going person." She soon began to slightly swoon over the young boy.

* * *

><p>When school later released that day, Karin found herself being dragged along by Sakura. She then looked over to see Hinata pushing Tayuya along in a comical fashion. The other redhead caught her eyes and gave a look that said, 'Don't talk.' Soon the two Konoha natives brought them to a training ground where seven others from their class and three older kids were waiting for them.<p>

"What are you guys doing here, and why'd you bring me and Karin here?" Tayuya asked the blunette beside her.

"Our friends usually train here with Neji-nīsan and his friends after school," Hinata replied as she grabbed the girls hand and drug her along to the group, Sakura doing the same with Karin.

"They are not my friends, Hinata-sama; they are my comrades," Neji sighed.

"You don't need to call me Hinata-sama, Neji-nīsan. And they too are your friends!" Hinata pointed out. "At least I think TenTen-san is."

"How do you figure that Hinata?" Naruto asked from his spot beside Sasuke, closing the book with the title ド根性忍伝 (Tale of the Gutsy Ninja) along its spine.

"I always see TenTen-san sneaking into the compound every now and again and then the two of them sneaking off later," Hinata supplied.

"Argh! Curse you my hip and cool rival!" Lee cried out. "Even when I feel like I so close to defeating you, you suddenly come out on top! And now you and TenTen are enjoying your youth! How can I compete with that?!"

"Shut up Lee!" TenTen muttered as she bopped Lee on his head, a blush adorning her cheeks.

"Like I was saying, this is where we usually train." Hinata and Sakura looked at the two redheads. "Would you like to join us?"

"Do I get to kick shorty's butt?" Tayuya grinned viciously.

"Hey!"

Everyone ignored Naruto's indignant remark and looked at Sakura, who grinned just as evilly. "Sure."

"Then I'm in!" Tayuya shouted, cracking her knuckles.

"Bring it Tayuya-chan!" Naruto shouted back, jumping up from his spot.

"I told you to stop using my name so familiarly shorty!"

"I'll stop when you stop calling me shorty!"

"Hold up first." Neji then motioned for Lee to create a sparring ring, which the boy did with enthusiasm. He then had the redhead and blonde stand towards the middle of the ring. "Make the seal of confrontation." Tayuya, not knowing what to do, watched as Naruto raised a half rat seal in front of himself and mimicked him. "The rules are as follows: only taijutsu, and no advanced or family type either. First to ring out the other wins. Are you both ready?" The two nodded in confirmation.

"Hajime!" Neji shouted, jumping out of the circle.

It was Tayuya who threw the first strike, a quick jab kick intending to knock the wind out of Naruto. The blonde of course just barely dodged, though comically, by bending to the side and supporting himself by his hands. The redhead glared and readied another kick that grazed his shoulder in his downed position. The blonde was thrown back, nearly going ring out, but managed to dig his feet in, comically waving his arms around. When he steadied himself, the redhead was upon him a fist read to sock him in the face.

She was too close for him to counter, so instead, he dodged around her, though his hand did graze her chest.

"Pervert!" Tayuya shouted blushing madly rapidly turning to once more clock the boy. Naruto was surprised at the speed of the attack and once more barely avoided the attack. He did feel though he would have to stop barely dodging Tayuya if the dark aura behind her was anything to go by.

From the sidelines Sasuke sighed from in between Sakura and Karin. "That usurantonkachi," he muttered. "He needs to stop acting like a fool and fight her seriously," the Uchiha said, palming his face. Shikamaru shared his sentiment due to the fact he could just tell that this troublesome girl would become more troublesome is she felt she was being patronized.

Kiba himself would have made a smart remark about not fighting a girl seriously, but had in the past few months learned that the girls in his age bracket were fearsome, especially timid little Hinata. He could remember just how sore Hinata made him when he had made a casual remark about Naruto being a loser.

"Fight seriously Naruto if you don't want to get your ass handed to you by a girl!" Kiba shouted.

"Just because I'm not fighting seriously, doesn't mean I intend to lose." He soon began to trade kicks and punches with the redhead. Naruto was surprised though that Tayuya was keeping pace with him, something only Sasuke seemed to exhibit. He could tell however that Tayuya was just a little bit below Sasuke in terms of endurance then.

When soon Tayuya became a little sluggish in her movements, Naruto found the opening he needed and capitalized on it. He then began to call upon that extra power inside of himself and began to fervently assault Tayuya, pushing her further and further until she was nearly ring out. The redhead had tried her best to force the blonde back, but he had deftly dodged her attacks as if they were coming a mile away at a snail's pace. She jumped back though when Naruto suddenly appeared right a few centimeters away from her and whispered, "You really are cute."

"Winner by ring out is Uzumaki Naruto!" Neji declared.

"About time," Sasuke muttered from his spot.

"I've never seen someone defeat Tayuya so soundly. She's always been able to defeat most people around her age," Karin murmured, completely dazed at seeing her friend lose for the first time.

"Well, Naruto-kun isn't like most people," Hinata pointed out.

"Isn't that the truth?" Sakura replied cheekily.

"Oi," the blunette pouted.

"I'm just kidding Hinata-chan. Calm down," Sakura apologized.

Naruto walked over to the redhead and offered her his hand. "You're not bad at all," he complimented down at her, grinning all the while.

"Same to you," Tayuya grinned back, accepting the offered hand. When she stood to her full height, a good five centimeters between them, she smirked. "Still a shorty though."

"Oi!"

"And a cute one at that," she teased.

Sasuke just palmed his face. "Can someone get those two off the field so we can get to the others?"

* * *

><p>From that day forward, Karin and Tayuya had become fully accepted into the group of Academy students. Though Tayuya seemed to gravitate more toward Naruto, due to their new found rivalry, while Karin was simply fascinated with Sasuke, the two of them did not neglect the other or simply push them off. The group later found out that Karin and Tayuya were living together on their own, and took it upon themselves to help the girls.<p>

That of course meant Naruto suggesting the idea of them moving in with him and Sasuke, dragging the Uchiha into this situation without his permission, not that he really minded. Really, he is more than willing to help others if they just ask him. Honestly, is it that hard to approach him?

"Maybe if you smiled more," Naruto teased.

After a short bout that ended with the blonde conked out on the floor and a smoldering bump, Sasuke had designated a few of the homes close to his own. In a twist of irony, Tayuya ended up next door neighbors to Naruto while Karin found a home next to Sasuke.

The teasing that followed Naruto and Tayuya because of this did not end for quite some time, much to Hinata's chagrin. Of course, she knew that Naruto and Tayuya were more of brother and sister. But for how long would they possibly stay like that? She needed to move if she wanted to be alongside Naruto.

But how?

* * *

><p>A week later, the two boys had decided to head out of the village and find a place to meditate to become one with their inner selves and gain greater insight into themselves. When they found a secluded clearing nearly a kilometer away from the village, they stopped there to meditate, feeling the spiritual energies there were strong. As Sasuke meditated with Naruto, while he doing the same on the opposite side of the field, his consciousness began to fade in and out of the world. Soon, his mind was in a completely different place. When he opened his eyes, he found he was surrounded by a night sky with stars and galaxies floating by. What amazed him too was the fact that he stood on a floor of water, yet he was not using chakra to stay afloat.<p>

"Is this Nirvana?" Sasuke wondered aloud as he stood on his feet and began to look all around himself. Had he finally become one with the world and found peace?

"Not quite." The Uchiha quickly rounded on the voice, before looking up at the most interesting face he had ever seen. "This is where one communes with their past lives and ancestors."

"Which one are you then?" He soon got half the answer when the man's eyes morphed into a spiral design. "Mangekyō," he murmured.

"My name is Indra," the man introduced. "Not only am I the first of the Uchiha, but I am also your first incarnation." The man smirked at the dazed look on the young boys face. "Not only that, but I am the first son of the Rikudō Sennin, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."

"So the Sennin is real?" Sasuke asked, completely blown away that the man standing in front of him was his first incarnation and son of one of the most famous ninja ever.

"Yes, father was real." Suddenly, Indra's face hardened, startling the young boy. "But we are not here to talk to the two of you about that."

"Wait, we? Does that mean your brother and his reincarnation are talking about the same thing?" Sasuke looked around, trying to see if there were any other people in the distance.

"Yes we are," the Uchiha ancestor spoke, smiling at the brilliance of his descendant. "You should know him. He's just as bad a flunky as my brother."

The Uchiha stopped, before slowly turning to his first incarnation. "Naruto?" he murmured. At the nod, Sasuke sat down and just rubbed his face. "I had a feeling that whatever was between us was just more than a strong rivalry and friendship," he then looked up into the stars. "We were brothers long ago."

"And best friends for a time," Indra added.

"Tell me what changed."

The first son just sighed, and took a seat in front of the young boy. "Then I must tell you where it all started," Indra intoned, changing the area around them into a battlefield. Sasuke nearly had a stroke but froze when he saw a woman running toward a massive tree. "That is my grandmother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya," he said, pointing to the woman who soon showed that she had horn like protrusions on her head.

"This is the story of the first wielder of chakra and how a world of chaos was wrought from the ashes of another."

* * *

><p>When Naruto and Sasuke woke after their meditation and meeting with their incarnations, they blearily blinked their eyes at the sky. They were met by the night sky and had realized that a large amount of time had passed since they had begun their meditation.<p>

"How long were we meditating?" Sasuke asked aloud as he and the blonde stood up.

"I think we'll find out when we return to the village, don't you?" Naruto responded. He then motioned with his head toward the direction of the village.

"Hn," the Uchiha grunted, following after the Uzumaki.

After a while the two of them lapsed into a companionable silence.

"So…" Naruto drawled, breaking the silence a few decameters away from the village gate. "You learn anything during your meditation?"

"That depends on what you learned usurantonkachi," Sasuke shot back with a smirk. "Then again, I think I'd be giving you too much credit when it comes to learning."

"Jackass," Naruto replied in a snarky tone. He sighed and looked up at the stars, his arms crossed behind his head. "We've always fought one another, haven't we?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Sasuke shot him a look out of the corner of his eye. "Friends fighting is stupid enough." He then looked up at the sky and thought of his brother. "Brothers fighting and hating each other… that's even more stupid."

"We may be reincarnations of them, but we aren't them… right?" the blonde asked hopefully.

"Nah," Sasuke replied slapping his friend on the shoulder. "You may be a usurantonkachi, but I'd never really hate you."

"That includes not being jealous of me, right?"

"As long as I know you have the book smarts of a rock, I'm never going to be jealous of you," Sasuke teased. "Too much strength and not enough control? I'd rather be an animal. At least it'd be a step up from you." He then eyed his friend. "Who knows, maybe they'll be funnier than you."

"Oi!" Naruto shouted, thwacking his friend on the back of the head.

"Not only that, I don't have to deal with being a midget."

"We're kids you ass!"

"Yet you are the shortest of all the kids in our class," the boy pointed out.

"Screw off," Naruto pouted.

As the two of them once more lapsed into silence once more, Sasuke could feel the anxiety, anxiousness and fear radiating off the boy beside him.

"Do you think we'll be strong enough to stop what is being set in motion by Madara right at this moment?" Naruto asked with a hint of uncertainty. "I mean I know we'll be strong… but will we be able to fight someone that has the Rinnegan, over fifty years or so of combat training and on top of that Kaguya?"

"Well if you put it like that," Sasuke muttered, "then we do seem screwed." He then gave his friend a fiery and determined look. "None of that matters though! We need to right the sins and misgivings of our past selves if we want any chance of saving not only this world, but all of our friends and loved ones!" The boy placed his hand over his heart and continued on passionately, "Even if we fall down, we can't give up! Everything is counting on us to succeed! Failure is not an option."

"Because beneath failure in this, there is nothingness and damnation," Naruto finished for his friend.

Sasuke nodded his head. "Exactly." He smirked at his friend, glad that the blonde finally understood from here on out, the both of them would have to give it their all to succeed and finally bring peace to their broken world. "C'mon," he said, motioning with his head to the village, "Everyone's probably worried about us."

"Race ya there," Naruto challenged, smiling toothily.

"You're on usurantonkachi," Sasuke smirked back.

"We'll make this work Sasuke."

The Uchiha looked at his friend as they raced back home.

"I know that."

"Our father and uncle once fought to see this world safe. We should give the world the same chance they gave it."

"You know it can't be as simple as that with everyone," Sasuke replied with a shake of his head.

"I know we can't make everything black and white, but we might as well give the future the chance to sort itself out."

"And if it won't sort itself out? What happens then?" The Uchiha himself was unsure of whether or not any such change in this world would be worth it due to the fact that it just seemed to repeat itself with worse consequences each time.

"Then we place our faith in others hoping they will rise to change this world for the better. Our father placed faith in us to do the same."

"And look how that turned out."

"At least I know you won't turn out insane during life."

"And if I do?"

"Then I'll save you from that path once more." He then looked at Sasuke. "We're brothers, remember? And friends till the end." Naruto then grinned at his friend. "Besides, we know who'll win in the end."

"I'd like to see that usurantonkachi," Sasuke joked back. "I could take you with one hand behind my back."

"And just to make it fair, I'll have both of my hands behind my back."


	4. Chapter IV Revelations

Chapter IV

Revelations

* * *

><p>During the first day of training Sasuke had found out something entirely surprising. From what Indra had explained to him, he had already awakened the Sharingan and apparently on the day of his clan's massacre. The older brother had then explained it was not the loss of his mother or father that had awakened his Sharingan, but rather coming under the heavy emotional stress of losing his bond with his brother. And when he learned of that, Sasuke finally realized that the sight of Itachi crying was indeed the truth, and not a hallucination, because his Sharingan had given him the ability to remember those few moments before losing consciousness that night.<p>

"Why?" Sasuke muttered.

"Hmm?" Naruto asked, having taken a sip of water from his canteen.

"He was crying after all that. Why was he crying?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He never showed any emotion. So why was he crying?"

"Sasuke-"

"I mean, he killed everyone so why was he-"

His sulking was interrupted though when he received a firm punch to his cheek from Naruto, which he then covered with his hand. He then glared back at the boy, who himself had on a serious look.

"What is your problem?!" he shouted at the boy.

"I don't know, what is your problem with you brother?" Naruto asked, glaring right back at the Uchiha.

"My problem with- My problem is that my brother murdered our entire clan and despite the fact he was a stoic person, cried openly when he left me alive!" Sasuke shouted, as frustration became evident in his eyes. "He would never do something like this without reason! "To test my power," what the hell does that mean?! If he meant to test his power and acted like the clan and I were beneath him, then why did he cry when he left?!"

Naruto's eyes softened at the conflict that raged within his friend, understanding that if he himself had a brother that loved him as deeply as Itachi did Sasuke, he too would have felt betrayed at his sudden heel face turn and departure.

"I don't have any answers for you," Naruto said as he clapped his friend on the shoulder. "But I bet you he knows the truth of what really happened that night."

"What are you getting at?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the blonde as if he had grown a second head.

"What I'm saying is that instead of gaining power to kill him, we become strong enough so that we can beat him up so that he can't escape. Then we question him about that night."

"Do you hear yourself talking? This is my brother, Uchiha Itachi. He was a former ANBU taichō and the prodigy of the Uchiha clan. How do expect us to even beat him?"

"You do realize who we were previously in our lives, right?" Naruto asked, wondering if Sasuke had forgotten that they were the original Uchiha and Senju-Uzumaki. Said Uchiha blinked owlishly before introducing his face to his palm.

"How did I even forget that? Scratch that, why do I even think Itachi is going to be even more of a problem than Uchiha Madara and our grandmother?" Sasuke asked rhetorically.

"Now who's the usurantonkachi?" He laughed as he avoided the punch sent his way.

"You want to dance?" the Uchiha growled.

"So long as we know who's wearing the dress, dattebayo!" Naruto replied, drawing a kunai and dashing forward.

"I know who's wearing it," Sasuke replied, drawing his own kunai and running forward.

"It's you!"

* * *

><p>The first few months that had passed for both Naruto and Sasuke since then had been some of the most grueling they had gone through. Every spar they had against each other, they forced themselves to the limits, perfecting their taijutsu to the point where the young Uchiha no longer needed his Sharingan to read his blonde friend's movements. As they trained themselves further and further, they soon began to strategize further and further ahead of each move they made to the point where all their spars after the sixty-seventh became nothing but draws. It was then that Indra and Ashura instructed them that they were ready to begin their training in shape and nature transformation.<p>

But before that, they would need to have a stronger grasp on their chakra control so that they could go long stretches of time during the training so that way they would not need to rest as much. The two of them from there on out had taken every opportunity after class to train their tree climbing abilities, and when they had gone an hour sparing on the sides of trees, they moved on to water walking. Of course, they were quickly found out by their friends and quickly coerced into helping them train. Though they were happy to oblige, ("No I'm n-") they found that if they were in fact being hindered by their friends.

Because of that, Naruto and Sasuke would purposely ditch their friends after school and head back to one of the more secluded training fields near Konoha. However, they would not gain much from that due to the training times only lasting about eight or so hours with breaks until midnight. That did not impede their overall training though. As time progressed, the two then took time to fight one another for hours on the water after they had mastered the control exercise. And then finally one day on their weekends, the two went nearly twelve hours straight fighting each other, alternating between the ground, the trees and the surface of the water using only taijutsu.

Indra and Ashura told them that if they could do that without feeling completely drained by the end, they would then be ready to move onto nature and shape transformation. Though it did take them seven more Saturdays to accomplish that, both boys had succeeded in meeting their incarnations' requirements.

They were disappointed however, when they were told that they could not move onto the next stage of training due to the fact they had little to no time for long periods of training. Though the two were down about, their strength as such had reached that of green chūnin, while their chakra reserves had increased to that of experienced jōnin. So when break occurred finally occurred, both of them used that time to seclude themselves away from the rest of the village so that they could fully train in their respective inheritances. Packing up the necessary items to survive in the wilderness for a month, despite the fact they would only be a kilometer and a half away from the village, the two left the village to train.

* * *

><p>"This is difficult," Sasuke remarked dryly as he once more tried to cut the water of a waterfall. For the past two weeks, the two of them had gone nearly sixteen hours each day training in both shape and nature transformation with only fifteen minute breaks if needed. The training they went through was actually more difficult due to the fact that of the two, nature transformation was the easier of the two. Shape transformation was more difficult, because simply shaping and molding their chakra, and holding its neutral nature was difficult beyond belief for the two. Trying to get their chakra to solidify was beyond their current capabilities for the time being.<p>

So they had instead started with nature transformation. Yet despite the fact it was the easier of the two transformations, it was still difficult for their current level. Not knowing which element to start with, the two opted to go with the element they felt would be the safest and easiest to master.

Once more, the two of them were found to be in over their heads. Wind chakra was one of the deadliest and offensively based chakra nature of the basic five. It was also one of the most difficult of the five to train due to the fact the only way to see if there was any progress was to visibly bisect something using their wind chakra.

And that was where Sasuke was at currently, trying to horizontally bisect a waterfall using his wind chakra.

"You just need to focus Sasuke!" Naruto shouted from above the boy. The Uchiha looked up at the blonde standing on one of the rock faces near the waterfall. Sasuke just sighed once more before breathing in and out, before channeling his through his hands and slicing at the water fall. Once more, the water parted for only a moment and only a meter across, before being overcome by the cascade.

"Any advice!" Sasuke shouted back to his friend, hopeful that the blonde would have learned something in the span of time to expedite the training.

"The more control the better!"

"I'm doing that!"

"Then focus your chakra, imagine it like two swords grinding together!" Then Naruto began to focusing his chakra and cut at the waterfall, making a gash from one side to the other, that was a meter thick. "Like that!"

Sasuke nodded his head and took a deep breathe once more. He cleared his mind and began to channel his chakra just as Naruto had described the thought to him. When he felt that his chakra had become razor sharp enough, he once more slashed at the waterfall. Though his wind chakra cut through the waterfall, his was only half as wide as Naruto's.

"I think you have a natural wind affinity Naruto!" Sasuke shouted to his friend.

"Really?" Naruto shouted back.

"Yeah!" The blonde became unsettled at the smirk on his friend's face.

"What?"

"Just means you're going to suck at lightning transformation when we get to it later!"

"Aw man!"

* * *

><p>"That's hot!" Naruto shouted before dunking his head into the river before him.<p>

"Usurantonkachi," Sasuke muttered with his head in his palm.

Because of the fact that Sasuke had long ago mastered fire transformation at the age of seven, due to it being a rite of passage for all Uchiha, he had opted out of the training and instead gave pointers to the blonde. While Naruto was gifted at wind transformation, his ability to control fire was absolute crap because the fact he tried to add wind transformation to it and ended up seemingly burning his throat, though not in the harmful way. Think drinking hot sauce straight for a person with taste buds that do not take kindly to spicy things.

"Alright, once more, knead your chakra in your stomach to a superheated temperature."

"Like I'm going to barf it up?" Naruto asked as he wiped his face clean.

"No," Sasuke deadpanned. "What I meant by that is knead the chakra there because it is your core, usurantonkachi. You then channel it through your lungs and exhale it through your mouth." The young Uchiha first kneaded the chakra there and moved it to his lungs before exhaling it. A small stream of fire was then let loose from his mouth.

"How are you not burning yourself?" Naruto wondered, observing the other boy. When he compared himself doing the exercise with what Sasuke had just done, he had noted that the other boy had puffed out his cheeks as he had done so, something he himself was not doing.

"It's because I'm not losing control of my chakra as I'm exhaling it," Sasuke replied. "Since it is your own chakra leaving your body, you have free reign on its properties. That's why the point it leaves my mouth at is so tiny. It's to neutralize the chances of blowing up in my face."

"Ah! I get it now, what we're making isn't necessarily fire in ourselves, but a combustible chakra that would react to the air once it leaves our body and our area of control!" Naruto shouted, understanding the mechanics behind the fire nature transformation. He then ran back to the river and tried once more.

The resultant explosion in front of Naruto left the boy covered in soot on only his front.

"Usurantonkachi," Sasuke muttered once more with his face in his palm.

* * *

><p>Three weeks were left for the two nine year olds before they would have to return to the village for school. They had very little time to master any of the three nature affinities left, what with it taking them three and a half weeks to master fire and wind each. So instead of training on the next element, water, they instead opted to work on their Katon and Fūton jutsu.<p>

The easiest one for them to do was the Gōkakyū and Hōsenka due to the fact that Sasuke himself already knew those jutsu. Of course with Naruto being Naruto, he would always end up with the air in front of him blowing up and leaving the front of his body covered in soot. It took Naruto two weeks to master jutsu, while Sasuke himself took the time to get the required hand signs for the jutsu down to one seal. The two then took the last week to master just one wind jutsu, Fūton: Daitoppa. Finally getting to the point where they could actually perform it took them six days. The last day they used to pack up and head back to the village and just rest.

* * *

><p>"How was your summer break?" Iruka asked his class once they had once more gathered together in the Academy. "I know many of you are either nine or ten, and raring to learn the more difficult techniques of a genin." Many of the students cheered at the prospect of learning more awe inspiring jutsu. Boy, did Iruka love being a teacher.<p>

"But you've been gone two months and that means we must review." A wave of groans passed over the class. "That's right, we have a refresher test!"

"Aw man!" Naruto groaned, covering his head. "I'm not good at explaining things! I'm only good at doing them."

"That means you're a kinesthetic learner rather than being an auditory or visual learner," Karin remarked from the side of Sakura.

"What's that even mean?" Naruto asked, rubbing his temples.

"It means you learn by doing things instead of watching or listening," Tayuya explained plainly for the blonde.

"Oh. Well why didn't she say that?" The redhead beside him just patted his shoulder and smiled at him. "Why do I feel like I should be pissed off for what you just did?"

"Usurantonkachi," the Uchiha muttered.

* * *

><p>The shock and disgust Sasuke felt once he read the stone tablet in the Naka no Jinja was palpable. The young Uchiha remembered what Itachi had told him about the seventh tatami mat to the far right and what was potentially under it and went there one evening to verify if what he said was the truth. Seeing that there actually was something down there, he remembered that Itachi told him the tablet had the secrets of gaining the same power as him. When he first read the tablet, he only learned that the Sharingan was obtained by going through a stressful event that was personal to the Uchiha and that those eyes would lead to finding more truth.<p>

Understanding that the tablet would be further deciphered by a Sharingan, Sasuke activated his own and began to read over the stone tablet. When he found the section on obtaining the Mangekyō, he quickly speed read that section.

"Why? Why would an Uchiha even want to do something like this just to gain that power? It's not worth it, losing what you hold dear to you," Sasuke murmured to himself having read the information for gaining the Mangekyō. "What did he have to do to get it?" He then remembered that Shisui was the closest person, other than Mirai, to Itachi.

"Did that mean he killed his best friend to gain that power?" But that did not make any sense. That man was a pacifist by nature, fighting only when it was needed of him. He cared deeply for his family and friends, and loved his village deeply. He would never do any of this. "Yet he did."

Feeling the energies of the past swirling within the very air, Sasuke felt that he could possibly connect with his first incarnation face to face instead of finding a place saturated in spiritual energy. Sitting kekkafuza (full-lotus), Sasuke slowly lowered the rate of both his breathing and heartbeat, silently listening to the heartbeat of the entire world. Once he had synchronized his one heartbeat to that of the world's own, he waited until his own consciousness would fade away. To him, an indeterminate amount of time had passed before he finally found himself before Indra.

"As expected of one of my descendants and my latest reincarnation to be able to reach me in the Tensei no Sekai (Reincarnation World)," were Indra's first words to Sasuke when the two met each other face to face after so long, praising the young boy. When he saw the serious look on the boy's face, he gave pause. "I see something troubles you young one. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Is the price for the Mangekyō really worth it?" Sasuke asked as he stood up. "Is it worth killing your brother? Killing your lover? Killing your best friend!" he shouted and raged, his voice getting louder and louder. "Is all the power in the world worth losing those you love? Is it worth losing your ability to see the eyes of your remaining loved ones as you descend into madness? Is it worth the anguish, pain and hatred that can follow in its path worth it?"

"No. No it is not," Indra answered simply. He had gained the powerful eyes when he was given the news that his lover had died in captivity after she was captured by a warlord during an attack on his home. When he had learned of whom the warlord was, he then preceded to use the power of his eyes to find the man. To say the least, he had gained a blooded name and found his wife, despite what hearsay spoke of. But that showed him his weakness and how deeply he felt for his lover, how deep the darkness he would fall into once she did die.

"Its power is great, but all great power comes at a cost. Some, like my brother's power, comes through hard work and determination to achieve power to protect that which they hold dear. My power though, it came at the loss of my lover." He then stared the boy in the eyes. "And I used that power to kill the one who caused my loss. Do you see what I mean?"

"The power of the Mangekyō was gained to erase the feeling of loss within an Uchiha originally, right?" Sasuke guessed.

"Exactly. The power I gained from my eyes, I used them to help others, protect what they held dear."

"So that they would not have to go through what you yourself went through."

"Yes," Indra said, nodding his head. "But when I truly lost my wife, the darkness that swallowed me whole was even greater than before."

"Wait, she lived?" Sasuke asked.

"She did, for a time." Indra then sighed. "When I had killed the man who had captured my wife, I found her trapped in the dungeons."

"Was she?" the young Uchiha asked uncomfortably.

"She was not harmed, fortunately enough. If she was, I would then have destroyed the entire castle and its inhabitants instead of just its combatants." Sasuke flinched at the open hostility Indra displayed, having only felt it once before when that man had trapped him within Tsukuyomi. Seeing the look of astonishment pass over his reincarnations face, Indra sighed. "That explains my point."

As Sasuke pondered his incarnation's words, he began to understand exactly what all of the Uchiha's powers was fueled by.

"Why do we feel so deeply then?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"It was because I was an older brother," Indra replied. "I was taught by my father to love my brother, and protect him, see him grow into a fine man. He himself was an older brother and told me the reason why older siblings are born first, is to protect the little ones who come after us. I took that teaching to heart and projected upon those I held dear to me, loving all of them deeply and vowing to protect them to the best of my abilities."

"I can kind of understand that," Sasuke said uneasily, remembering the love his own brother felt for him and how he treated him compared to his own father, and by extension mother.

"But if what you believed gaining the Mangekyō meant killing a loved one when you asked "Why would an Uchiha even do that to gain power?" then the answer is, no. No that is not how the Mangekyō is gained." Sasuke was shocked. "My Mangekyō was gained at the thought of believing my lover was dead, not killing her. I never carried out the act."

"Wait, those are your Mangekyō you're talking about. The ones I'm talking about are different though." At Indra's unwieldy gaze, he gave pause. "Right?"

"This is my bloodline. I know my abilities. I am the precedent for the Uchiha, remember?" Indra asked with a raised brow.

"So wait, then that means an Uchiha doesn't have to kill their loved one to gain the Mangekyō? Then why is it written like that?"

"I do not know what you mean by the instructions being written, but whatever they are, they are false. In any case, you have to remember I was a man who loved all those close to me dearly. I had never gained my Mangekyō, despite killing several who were close to me." He stopped Sasuke from speaking further with a raise of his hand. "They had betrayed me, nearly destroyed all my Otō-sama and Oji-sama had fought to protect. They deserved no less."

"So despite the fact you feel a very deep bond," Sasuke started.

"The Mangekyō will not awaken by killing a person close to you. The physical loss does not matter, so long as the emotional loss is prevalent, then the Mangekyō will awaken."

"So, despite the fact I loved my brother, if I kill him, then I won't awaken my Mangekyō?" Sasuke asked.

"That is so," his incarnation replied with a nod. "So long as you still hold hatred in your heart for him instead of love, then it won't awaken."

"Right," the young Uchiha muttered. Indra gave him a plain look.

"You have doubts about your brother's actions that night."

"I just don't understand it."

"Then what my ototō's reincarnation said should be taken into consideration," Indra suggested.

"Maybe," Sasuke murmured. "In any case, thank you for telling me this."

"You were not going to use the information you found, were you?" asked the older brother before Sasuke moved to leave.

For a moment, Sasuke hesitated. A part of him had considered utilizing the knowledge he had gleaned from the tablet in order to gain the necessary power to kill him. Before, he would have scoffed at the idea because of the fact he would not become like him just so he could kill him. Now though, he would not even touch the idea of killing someone close to him just to gain that power, a power that would end up corrupting him and sending him spiraling into darkness.

"They are my friends whom I hold dear to my heart. They have placed their faith and trust in me, that I would watch their backs and keep them safe. I don't intend on betraying that trust," Sasuke said with a strong conviction evident in his voice and clear in his eyes. With one final look between the two, Sasuke once more sat down to distinguish himself from the world of reincarnation.

* * *

><p>"How is it that you suck so badly at the theoretical work we're given, yet your practical skills are next to none besides Sasuke's?" Kiba asked the blonde Uzumaki as the two of them, along with Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Karin, Tayuya and TenTen headed toward the Uchiha clan's district for an after school study session.<p>

The first term of their second year had already passed the group of children by, during which time the group had celebrated the young Uchiha's tenth birthday. Within those three months, the group of children had grown closer, despite the ever growing distance in strength that seemed to be between the duo, Sasuke and Naruto, and the other children. It was most likely due to the fact that the group of children believed so greatly in them, that they did not bother with questioning the two intensively.

"He's just a usurantonkachi like that," Sasuke explained with a shrug.

"Yet you've acknowledged him as your rival," the one with her hair in Chinese buns pointed out. "So maybe he's not as much of a dolt as you think he is then."

Sasuke looked over to his best friend and saw him and Tayuya heatedly conversing with one another. A moment later, Naruto was lying in a crater with the redhead standing over him, a blush covering her face. He then turned back to TenTen with a blank look.

"You were saying?"

"That just proves Naruto doesn't know how to talk to girls. There are a lot of boys this age and over who can't even do that," TenTen said, speaking from experience regarding a particular Hyūga.

"Are you saying I don't?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow.

"You don't have to deal with a Tsundere or a Yamato Nadeshiko."

"Yet the girls I deal with are the bossiest around," the young Uchiha commented. A moment later, a shiver went through his body. Turning around, he could see Sakura smiling sweetly at him. Too sweetly.

"What was that Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as she cracked her knuckles while a dark aura accompanied by an Oni mask appeared behind her.

"Nothing," the young Uchiha answered too quickly. A moment later he thought, 'Wrong answer,' as he was lay in a crater.

"You were saying?" TenTen asked cheekily with a grin.

"Just help me up would you?" Sasuke growled.

* * *

><p>"At the age of twenty-four, Namikaze Minato was the youngest Kage in the history of the Shinobi Godaikoku (Five Great Shinobi Countries). His term as Hokage would be short lived, only lasting a year, due to the fact of dying in battle against the Kyūbi-no-Kitsune nearly ten years ago on October 10th." Iruka was currently going over the history of the leaders of Konoha, having already finished the known history of Hashirama and Tobirama. He skipped over Hiruzen's due to the fact that the Sandaime's term was a two part, and deserved an entire day to go over.<p>

"I smell bullshit," Naruto muttered to Sasuke.

"Yeah. Something isn't right," the Uchiha whispered back.

"I know. If he did kill it, then where is it? It should be back by now."

"Indra mentioned something about jinchūriki, is it possible Konoha has one now?" Sasuke asked.

"Uh. Sasuke, can I see that book?" When the book on the Hokage was slid his way, Naruto began to flip rapidly through the book. He stopped when he came across one of the only existing pictures of the Yondaime. His eyes went wide when he stared into the face of the man. The hair at the sides of his face were longer, and just as spikey. His face was not as rounded as Naruto's own, but they held the same striking blue eyes. If Naruto were older, many would mistake him for the Yondaime's twin.

He knew then and there, that the man he admired the most, the Yondaime Hokage and Kiiroi Senkō, was his father.

"What?" The young Uchiha stared at the picture of the Yondaime, then back at Naruto. "What? Is something wrong?"

The blonde did not reply, but instead began to hyperventilate.

'October 10th.'

'Jinchūriki.'

'Kyūbi.'

'Pariah.'

'Blonde hair, blue eyes.'

"How could he?" Naruto whispered, as tears formed in his eyes. "How could he do that to me?" he asked aloud as his hands fisted.

"Naruto?" He was startled when his friend quickly stood up and walked from his seat.

"Naruto, where are you going?" Iruka asked the boy. When he saw him heading toward the door, he stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Class isn't over yet, Naruto. Please, get back to your seat."

"Get off me!" Naruto roared, rounding on the man as he threw his hand off his shoulder. "You knew! You and every other adult knew!"

"Wha?" Iruka asked.

"Don't play dumb!" the blonde shouted. "Everyone except us kids know what happened! And you adults had the gall to not even tell me! ME! About it!" Seeing the shocked look on his teacher's face, Naruto about faced and stomped out of the class. A moment later, the door slammed closed, jarring the room's occupants.

'N-Naruto-kun... What made him s-so angry?'

"What's wrong with him?" Tayuya asked Sasuke as she looked at the book. When she received no response, she looked up to see Sasuke staring wide-eyed at the picture of the Yondaime. "Hello? Tayuya to Sasuke? What's wrong?"

"We need to find Naruto, fast." Sasuke then opened the window next to him and shot out of it.

"Oi!" Tayuya shouted after the boy. She growled momentarily before jumping out of the window after the boy.

* * *

><p>"Why'd you do it Tō-chan?" Naruto sniffled atop his father's head. "Why'd you go and do it? Why'd you leave me alone? You and Kā-chan." For nearly an hour, the young boy just sat there lamenting, wondering if his parents ever did truly love him. To be born on the same day his own parents would die, any child would hate their birthday with a passion from then on.<p>

"Tō-chan, Kā-chan," the blonde once more whispered as he held his face in his hands. A fresh set of tears began to fall from his face. He so wished his parents could be here with him. Just once.

"I'm here for you Naruto," a voice whispered behind him. Before he could even turn fully around, he was embraced from behind. Turning his head just enough to see who it was, he spied the shocking red hair that could only belong to Tayuya.

"Tayuya, I'm sorry you have to see me like this."

"It's fine. Don't worry too much," she murmured as she settled in behind him.

"I can't tell you what's wrong yet." Though hurt that her friend would not confide in her, she understood the fact that Naruto, according to Sasuke, had been alone a majority of his life. So confiding in anyone other than Sasuke, the closest person to the blonde, was not common.

"I understand," she said after a while.

"I really want to tell you and Hinata, but I need more time."

"How long do you need?"

"I don't know myself." A mirthless chuckle was released.

"Take your time. I'll be beside you the entire time."

The two then settled down atop the Yondaime's head, just staring off at the village. After a while, the two fell asleep against the mountain side by side, with their hands intertwined and heads leaning against each other.

* * *

><p>"This feeling." The primordial being known as the Kyūbi raised its head and stared into the darkness that surrounded its cage. It had not felt this feeling since its last container, nearly ten years ago. The feeling was as suffocating now as it was back then.<p>

"So you have found someone near and dear to you. Someone more precious than that Uchiha," the Kyūbi growled. "Let us see if you can protect her with all your heart then." It then settled back down and closed its eyes.

'The darkness that will appear in your heart when she is lost… I will use that to gain my freedom!'


End file.
